Players must be full-time students at their respective high schools. In order to qualify, players must be part of the roster of their respective team and eligible to compete for their high school according to their school/league association eligibility rules during their current season. Roster must be filed with the tournament committee prior to a team’s first game, and no substitutions will be permitted thereafter. Teams are limited to dressing 22 players per game. If a team has a third goalie they will be permitted to dress. Any exceptions must first be cleared with the tournament convenor prior to a team’s first match. In the case of goaltender injury or suspension, a third goaltender (if not already rostered) may be added to the tournament roster, but must fulfill the eligibility requirements above. 

The Twelve (12) participating teams will be placed into four groups of three teams. Each of the four groups will be paired with another group for the purposes of opening round play. Groups will be A/D & B/C.

OPENING ROUND
Each team will play three Opening Round games within their paired groups and then be reseeded within their groups for a Knock-Out Round. Games will be 3 periods of 15 minutes each. If teams are tied following regulation, there will be a 5 min 3 on 3 overtime period and/or a shootout to award an additional point. There will be a seven-minute warm up prior to each game. The home team will be the higher seed and will wear white for each match.

Standings during the round robin will be tabulated as follows: (Regulation Win = 3, Regulation Tie = 1, Overtime Win = 1 Additional Point, Shootout Win = 1 Additional Point, Loss = 0).  Following Opening Round play and the re-ranking, Teams will be placed in the Knockout Round Bracket based on their new seed.

KNOCK-OUT/CONSOLATION ROUND
Team will be ranked based on standings within their paired groups. Places 1-4 in each paired group will proceed to the Knock-Out Round beginning with a quarter-final and finishing in the championship final. Team ranked 5^th and 6^th in the Opening Round within their groups will play in the consolation round.
 

Tie-breaks will be used following completed Opening Round play to re-rank the teams for the Knock-Out stage.
If teams are tied in points following the opening round the following will be used to break the tie between two teams or to rank all tied teams:
1. Head-to-Head Result (Used Only for Two-Way Ties)
2. The team with most regulation wins
3. The team with the greatest goal differential in all games takes the highest standing, to a maximum of +/- 5 goals per game. 

4. The team with the fewest goals against in all games will take the highest standing.
5. The team with the most goals for in all games will take the highest standing.
6. The team with the fewest penalty minutes against in all games will take the highest standing.
7. The team with most period wins in all games will take the highest standing

There will be a five-minute, sudden-victory overtime period (first goal wins) if any of the round robin games are tied. Overtime will be played with 3 skaters plus a goalie. If the game remains tied at the end of the overtime period, there will be a 3-person shootout. The home team gets to elect to shoot first or second.  No shooter may take an additional shot until every available player has taken a shot.

In Knock-Out bracket, overtime will consist of sudden-victory. The ice will not be resurfaced at the conclusion of regulation time and there will be a two-minute rest period. The first overtime period will be 10 minutes stop-time and will be played with 3 skaters, plus a goalie. If the game remains tied, the ice will be resurfaced and an additional overtime period will be played for 15 minutes stop-time with 3 skaters, plus a goalie. At the conclusion of the second overtime period there will be a 3-person shootout using the opening round procedure.

In the Championship game, overtime will consist of sudden-victory. The ice will not be resurfaced at the conclusion of regulation time. There will be a three-minute rest period. The first overtime period will be 10 minutes stop-time and will be played with 3 skaters, plus a goalie. If the game remains tied, the ice will be resurfaced and subsequent overtime periods will be played for 15 minutes stop-time with three skaters, plus a goalie. There will be a resurfacing after each period in overtime.

Rulings on a dispute or possible suspension will be handled by the Tournament Committee, the Referee-in-Chief & the Referee doing the game in which the incident took place. The Tournament Committee ruling will be final.

All Hockey Canada playing rules will be enforced with the following adjustments: 
a) A fighting major will result in automatic expulsion from the tournament. 
b) If a player receives 3 separate ten-minute misconducts in tournament play, that player shall be ejected from the tournament.  
c) Hybrid Icing Shall be in effect
d) Face-offs following a penalty shall occur in the defensive zone of the offending team.